Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mesh network management and more particularly to decisioning in a mesh network
Description of the Related Art
Mesh networking refers to a multi-hop communications network in which the nodes of the network act as a router for data from other nodes. Consequently, a mesh network provides for continuous communicative connections between nodes and the ad-hoc reconfiguration of data paths throughout the network in response to broken or blocked paths. Mesh networks differ from other networks in that the component parts all connect to each other via multiple hops, and those component parts, in comparison to mobile ad-hoc networks, generally are not mobile. Of import, mesh networks are self-healing and can operate when one node fails or when a communicative linkage between nodes drops. As a result, mesh networks are known to be very reliable.
Mesh networks find substantial application in the field of remote sensing. Remote sensing refers to the acquisition of information of an object or phenomenon, by the use of either recording or real-time sensing device that is either wireless or not in physical or intimate contact with the object. In practice, remote sensing provides for the stand-off collection of data through the use of a variety of devices for gathering information on a given object or area. There are two main types of remote sensing: passive remote sensing and active remote sensing. In passive remote sensing, passive sensors detect natural wave emissions emitted or reflected by the target object or surrounding area. Active remote sensing, by comparison, utilizes active sensors that emit energy in order to scan objects and areas whereupon the sensors then detect and measure the reflected or backscattered radiation from the target.
A wireless sensor network (WSN) is a physical embodiment of a remote sensing system. A WSN primarily includes a selection of spatially distributed autonomous sensors cooperatively monitoring physical or environmental conditions, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants. In addition to one or more sensors, each node in a WSN is typically equipped with a radio transceiver or other wireless communications device, a microcontroller, and a power source, usually a battery. Of note, a WSN normally constitutes a wireless ad-hoc network, meaning that each sensor supports a multi-hop routing algorithm where nodes function as forwarders, relaying data packets to a base station.
Sensor platforms and devices have become more sophisticated with more processing power, and at the same time wireless mesh technology has become more pervasive. Yet, the contemporary traffic monitoring and analytics system coupled to the WSN at the back-end data center cannot operate fast enough to provide real time adjustments for vehicles on the move within the WSN. Such real time adjustments can only be done if processing of data can be performed done at the edge of the WSN.